Journal News Notes That Their Gun Permits Map Draws Criticism

(Journal News) Thousands of people, many from outside Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties, have taken to their computers and phones in rage after The Journal News posted an online database of local gun-permit holders.

The database, legally obtained from the County Clerks’ Offices through a Freedom of Information Act request made after the shootings in Sandy Hook, Conn., that left 20 children and eight adults dead, has been called irresponsible, dangerous and leaning toward intimidation by online pundits.

Hundreds of callers have complained, claiming publication of the database put their safety at risk or violated their privacy. Others claimed publication was illegal. Many of the callers were vitriolic and some threatened members of the newspaper staff.

The map itself was meant to intimidate, shame, and threaten legal gun permit holders in the three NY counties.

“We knew publication of the database would be controversial, but we felt sharing as much information as we could about gun ownership in our area was important in the aftermath of the Newtown shootings,” said CynDee Royle, editor and vice president/news.

Poor little CynDee is so worried about sharing information that she deleted her Facebook page and has her Twitter account marked private.

“People are concerned about who owns guns and how many of them there are in their neighborhoods,” she said. “Our Freedom of Information request also sought specifics on how many and what types of weapons people owned. That portion of the request was denied.”

Personally, I think the map is a great thing. It tells criminals exactly which people and homes not to mess with, unless said criminal prefers to be ventilated. For those who have no guns, well, the map isn’t such a great thing for them, as criminals now know which homes to go after, whether it be for theft, rape, violence, murder, etc.

Just for the record, I have a Walther P99 and a Walther P22. I also have a live alarm system. If the latter doesn’t stop a perp, one of the former will. Of course, my neighbors with Obama 2012 stickers on their cars probably do not have guns, so criminals will probably stop there first.

“This is what I see,” (Scott F. Williams) said. “It’s all in the context of the shootings in Newtown … it gets us all talking about gun control. That people are at a heightened concern makes sense to me. I am a gun owner and a pro-Second-Amendment (person). I try to be rational.” He called the newspaper’s decision to link to the database “highly Orwellian.”

“The implications are mind-boggling,” he said. “It’s as if gun owners are sex offenders (and) to own a handgun risks exposure as if one is a sex offender. It’s, in my mind, crazy.”

Well, liberals typically treat sex offenders better than gun owners. Many people keep guns at home because of absurd, reckless, and shameful policies towards criminals pushed by Democrats, who rarely want to treat criminals harshly, but instead want to understand them, sympathize with them, redeem them, etc. Punishing them? Not so much.

Now, if only the Journal News would spend the time to find out where the illegal guns are…..what’s that? Those are dangerous, unlike the ones held legally? Hmph.